Tea served with Love
by tintenstern
Summary: AU, Café Scenes Verse. What began as the search for a present for a friend turned out to be a love story. USUK


For the usXuk Summer Camp, theme Coffee/Tea

Jia Long/Leon: Hong Kong

* * *

><p><strong>Tea served with love<strong>

Alfred stood in front of the building, just staring at the shop window and sign. While on the quest to find a good present for his friend Kiku, Francis, one of his other friends and Kiku's boyfriend, had given him the tip to go to this shop because there, he'd surely be able to find anything he needed (and the way he had said it, with his suggestive tone and wink, had made Alfred wonder what kind of shop it was). Now that he was there, he saw that it had to be some kind of tea shop that also sold cute things. The name of the shop – _Green Dragon_ – was ornately written on the shop sign along with another writing in some form of Asian letters.

After another minute of staring, he finally entered, thinking to himself that it wasn't like him to be afraid of unknown things, even if he didn't know anything about tea and possibly had to deal with some old Chinese couple. A bell chimed when he stepped through the door and immediately he was met with the strong scent of tea. He looked around, at a total loss because there were just so many different kinds of tea, tea things and pastries. He heard voices from the backroom, clearly someone being ordered to go meet the customers, so at least he would get help now. When he was approached from the salesperson, though, he was met with surprise.

"Good day. Can I help you?"

That voice sure didn't sound Asian, Alfred thought, nor some other strange accent. Turning around, Alfred stood face-to-face with a young man, clearly not much older than himself. The first thing Alfred noticed about him were his huge eyebrows before his gaze lowered onto his eyes. They were green unlike any shade he had seen before, and very captivating. He found it a bit hard to find his voice again. "Uh... um...," he stammered, "I'm searching for a present for a good friend. He's Japanese and loves traditions and stuff, so I thought... uh..."

The salesman smiled professionally, overlooking his stammering. "Ah. Well, we do have a selection of high quality traditional green tea, but if he drinks tea on a daily basis, he probably already has those," the man said (British, Alfred noted. That made him so much more fascinating).

"Ah... to be honest, I don't really know anything about tea," Alfred admitted, "so I have no idea what he would like."

The salesman ("Arthur", it said on the name tag) smiled again, beckoning him to follow. "Don't worry about that," he replied, "you don't have to be an expert to buy from us. After all, I'm here to serve and advise customers." He then proceeded to show Alfred every kind of green tea they had to offer, explaining the different characteristics and pointing out the especially high quality types. Alfred tried to keep track of everything, but it was just as confusing as when Francis talked about his beloved wine, so in the end, he just pointed to the one that had the best sounding name and came in a nice looking tin.

At the register, Arthur said: "I'm sure your friend will like it. If not, feel free to stop by again and bring him with you, so he can chose for himself." When Alfred nodded in response, he added: "And if you ever change your opinion about drinking tea or want to know more, you're always welcome."

"I'll keep it in mind," Alfred replied, "also... thanks a lot for your help. I really would have been lost without you."

The man – _Arthur_, Alfred reminded himself – waved him off. "Like I said before, it's my job after all."

"Still... thank you." Alfred smiled, taking the bag. He said goodbye and once he was out on the street again, tea suddenly seemed so much more interesting, if only to see Arthur again.

When Kiku's birthday arrived and Alfred was on the way to his place, he was nervous about giving him the present. The fact whether he liked it or not would influence how and when he could go back to the _Green Dragon_. He rang the bell and as the door opened, he was greeted by Francis and immediately let inside. Alfred followed Francis into the kitchen, where the Frenchman was preparing lunch. While they waited for the birthday boy to join them, they talked. After a while, Francis asked: "So, did you have any success?"

Alfred blinked. "You mean finding a present in that teashop?" Francis nodded and Alfred continued. "Well... yeah, I did find something. And if I ever want to buy tea, I think I'll go buy it there. I met this dude there and he was kinda nice..." He stopped mid-sentence.

Francis chuckled. "_Mon ami_, it sounds like you really want to go back there, though not for the sake of the tea!" Seeing Alfred's pout, he smiled softly. "Now, now. You know we all want you to be happy. If you think he's interesting, go for it. Who knows, you might end up finding your special someone!" He winked again. Alfred rolled his eyes. Really, Francis always had to romanticize everything. Though inside his heart, Alfred shared the same believe.

They heard the door click, announcing that Kiku had returned home from work. Francis went to greet him, pecking him on the lips and helping him out of his jacket. "Welcome home, _chéri_," he murmured, "sit down while I bring lunch, alright?" Kiku nodded and they shared another brief kiss.

Alfred watched them with an amused smile that transformed into a huge grin when Kiku joined him at the table. "Happy birthday!," he exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder.

"Thank you," Kiku said, "I'm glad you could come."

"Dude, of course I'm here!," Alfred replied, "you two are my best friends, after all. I wouldn't want to miss your birthday!"

"I know." Kiku chuckled and sat down.

The group enjoyed lunch, all the while talking. Alfred kept getting seconds because Francis' cooking was just so good, so it took a while until they were finished. After Francis had cleared the table, they sat down in the living room. Now it was time for Alfred to give Kiku his present. Kiku unpacked it, surprise in his eyes when he saw the tea tin. "It's a Chinese flavored type," Alfred explained, "something different to the stuff you usually drink. I hope you like it."

"Thank you, Alfred," Kiku said, "it seems to be an interesting flavor, and the tin design is really cute, too. I shall make a pot of it so we can all taste it." They watched him leave for the kitchen. Francis gave Alfred the thumb-ups, mouthing a silent "See? I told you so" and Alfred flashed a grin in return.

Only a few minutes later, Kiku returned with a freshly made cup of tea for each of them. Even Alfred, who really didn't like the stuff, had to admit it was quite good. He spent the rest of the afternoon at Kiku's and Francis'. When he returned home for dinner, he decided to go back to the tea shop on the next day, in the hopes of seeing Arthur again.

Alfred woke up early, but found he couldn't go back to sleep. He crawled out of bed and went to take a shower, all the while yawning. The water did wonders to wake him and by the time he was finished, he was humming a cheerful tune. Upon entering the living room, he was enthusiastically greeted by his cat, Hamburger. The cat didn't want to let go of him until his fur was thoroughly ruffled and Alfred complied with a laugh. Finally, he could go to the kitchen, giving Hamburger fresh food and making his own morning coffee and a sandwich. That would get him fully awake in no time.

Once he had his breakfast, he sat down at the table and booted his laptop. Whenever he had the time, he liked to start his days like this – drinking a good coffee, having a snack for breakfast and surfing the internet. In his opinion, this was way better than reading a stuffy newspaper; they took up space, and all of the things written in there could be found online without having to pay money. It wasn't like he didn't like to read – he did enjoy a good book every now and then, and liked to be well-versed in all different kinds of subjects. But he had always been more the practical type and had had a passion for science and engineering ever since he was a child. Now, he was working as a free-lance software engineer and in this way, he had met Kiku and Francis.

While looking for the news, he idly wondered if the teashop had a website, but then dismissed the thought. It was most likely a small private, probably even family-run, company, so if they only had that location, they didn't need to have internet presence. Though it would have been a wonderful way to try to find out more about the staff, and maybe do a little research so he wouldn't seem as stupid in the future because really, he wasn't – it was just a subject that hadn't drawn his interest before.

He drained the last of his coffee and put the dishes in the sink, then prepared to leave. It was still early, so he'd probably just walk around before heading for the teashop. It was a nice day and warm for early February, so he could comfortably sit down in the park to kill some time. If the weather stayed that nice, he would even be able to exercise outside. After some time of just sitting and watching the other people in the park, he made his way to the shop.

This time, he didn't hesitate before entering, the bell chiming pleasantly above him. Like the last time, he heard voices sounding from the backroom and his heart skipped a beat when Arthur emerged into the selling floor. Alfred smiled in greeting and Arthur returned the smile, saying: "So you're back. Did your friend enjoy the tea?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah, he liked it and thought the tin design was cute. I had some of it, too, and it was good, though not really my type. I prefer coffee." He paused and scratched the back of his head before continuing. "But I want to give tea a try. So... is there anything you can recommend for a beginner?

Arthur thought for a moment. "Well, if it's the bitterness you don't like, you could try a flavoured one, and you would have to decide between black, green and white," he answered, "all of them have their own charm, though personally, I'm partial to black tea, so if you want to hear my personal opinion, I'd recommend that."

Alfred nodded. "Then I'd like one of those. Are there any types that aren't too strong? And maybe a sweet flavor?"

He was then lead to a shelf and like the last time, Arthur showed and explained to him the various types. After some thinking, Alfred chose a type flavored with different spices. Arthur then also recommended him some of the tools they sold and a tea set, so he could enjoy it properly, and gave instructions on the best way to brew and drink his tea.

Before Alfred left, Arthur stopped him. "You're welcome to stop by whenever you want to know more or want to try a different type," he said, looking to the side (and was that a blush on his face?).

Alfred nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I'll be sure to do so. And thanks again!"

This time, Arthur looked back at him, returning the smile. "You're welcome."

Alfred left with a wave of his hand, then headed back home. It really was a wonderful day, he thought. He made a quick lunch before he proceeded to try out his new tea. With the instructions memorized, it wasn't so difficult and now he was sitting on his couch, sipping at the tea. He still preferred coffee, but the taste was enjoyable. He felt that he really could get used to it.

In the time that followed, Alfred would stop by the _Green Dragon_ every few days and every time, he met Arthur. Those moments were becoming a part of his life; he honestly couldn't think back to how it had been before. Somewhere along the line, they started to make small talk and Alfred thought it was strange: they didn't even know each others' names (well, Alfred knew Arthur's since it was on his name tag) but still, they could connect so easily. It made him wonder how it would be if they were on first-name basis. So one day, he decided to introduce himself.

It was now nearing towards summer and with the rising temperature, the _Green Dragon_ now also sold iced tea. Arthur had just shown him how to make it himself and they were now enjoying the cool drink. That was when Alfred spoke up. "By the way, my name's Alfred," he started, "uh... since I'm always stopping by and we're talking and all, I thought it'd be a good idea to introduce myself. And I already know your name because it's on your tag, but you didn't know mine, so..."

Arthur stopped his rambling by raising a finger, chuckling in amusement. "It's nice to meet you, Alfred," he said. Alfred couldn't quite place his expression, but he knew that it definitely was something good.

"Nice to meet you too, Arthur."

But just when Alfred thought things were going really good, he was met with a damp. One day, he entered the shop humming a happy tune but instead of Arthur, a different man emerged from the back room. He was bit shorter than Alfred, and much slighter in built. His dark hair was tied back into a ponytail and his clothes looked like some traditional Asian robes. "Good day," he said curtly.

"Uh..." For a moment, Alfred was at a loss for words. "Isn't Arthur there today?," he finally managed to ask.

The other man ("Yao," Alfred read from his tag) raised a delicate brow. "You know him?," he asked suspiciously, "then you must be that Alfred-person that always bothers him."

"I, Uh – what?" Alfred couldn't believe his ears. Bothered? But – but he never did anything bad! And Arthur had never seemed like he minded Alfred's presence...

"I believe you heard me," Yao said, "ever since you've showed up here, Arthur is always distracted. At work, with the children... even his cooking is now even more disastrous than usual!"

Alfred listened to his rant, confused. Children? Cooking? Was this guy actually a woman and – and Arthur's _wife_? The thought nearly crushed his heart.

"...so if you don't actually have business with us, I would prefer if you wouldn't come again." Yao had finished his rant, looking at Alfred expectantly.

He blinked the thoughts away, slowly nodding. Without saying a word, he turned on the spot and left.

XXXXXXX

After his encounter with Yao, Alfred's general mood plummeted. The thought of tea now seemed depressing and irritating, so he put the tea things away into the deepest corners of his cupboard and went back to only drinking coffee. Because being alone in his apartment – even with Hamburger as company – felt gloomy, he often went out to eat, preferably at McDonald's, eating several hamburgers and fries per meal. His friends noticed this sudden change in mood and grew worried.

Francis, suspecting a case of heartbreak, confronted him. "You've been really down lately," he started, "has something happened with your sweetheart?"

Alfred shot him an annoyed look. "I don't have a sweetheart," he huffed, "I mean, yeah, I was interested in him, but nothing will come of it anyway."

The Frenchman raised an eyebrow. "Have you tried? It doesn't sound like you to just give up."

"Well... no," Alfred admitted, "but I've been told to stay away because I'm a bother. So I'm not going back because I don't want to cause trouble."

Realizing his friend wouldn't listen to any argument, Francis sighed. He changed the topic, inviting him to a fun gaming afternoon arranged by some of his other friends he would be attending along with Kiku. Never saying no to video games, Alfred agreed and the subject of his bad mood was dropped.

The day of the gaming afternoon, Alfred was picked up by Kiku. The Japanese said he had to stop by somewhere to see someone on the way, so Alfred followed along, not really paying attention with his mind already on the games. Only when Kiku stopped and Alfred looked at his surroundings did he realize where he was. In front of him was the _Green Dragon_. His eyes widened in surprise. What did Kiku have to do here, of all places? He turned to his friend and asked: "What are we doing here?"

Kiku looked at him in mild surprise. "I told you I had to see someone, didn't I?," he replied.

"Yeah, but...," Alfred started but Kiku was already going inside, so Alfred sighed and followed. He was anxious about what would happen next.

His friend had gone all the way straight to the backroom and now Alfred stood awkwardly by the door, hidden from view. He heard someone coming and soon heard the voice he had longed to hear again.

"Kiku!," Arthur's voice said in surprised delight, "it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you as well, Arthur," Kiku replied, "how are you? I heard you haven't been too well lately."

Alfred perked up at that. Arthur hadn't been well? Was something wrong?

"Ah... it's nothing really... you don't need to worry about me, really, I'm fine," Arthur insisted, "whatever Yao has told you is most likely terribly exaggerated." After a short pause, he added: "So, anyway, what did you come for?"

"I wanted to get back the video games I lent to your brothers," Kiku answered, "we have a gaming afternoon with friends, so I offered to bring a variety of games."

"They're upstairs. You know the way."

"Thank you." Kiku bowed. "Oh, and I brought a friend. I hope it's okay if he waits here while I'm gone."

"Ah, well, if it's for you, I guess it's alright," Arthur said. Alfred heard Kiku move away, before Arthur moved towards him. There was no use in trying to hide now. "Hello – Alfred?" Arthur stopped on the spot, green eyes wide in surprise.

"Uh... hello, Arthur," Alfred said awkwardly.

"Where have you been?," Arthur asked, "It's been a while since the last time..."

"Ah, well..." Alfred fidgeted.

Arthur sighed. "Why don't you come and sit down?," he offered, "you can tell me then."

Alfred nodded and sat down beside him at a round table. When Arthur looked at him expectantly, he explained. Arthur listened patiently and when he finished, sighed again. "That stupid git," he mumbled, "I'll have to hit him with his wok later for a change." Then his features softened. "But... I'm glad. I was worried that maybe... maybe you were tired of seeing me or I had somehow offended you."

"What? No!," Alfred cried out. "No," he repeated with his voice lowered, "I'm not tired of seeing you, and you haven't offended me. I – I've missed coming here."

Arthur looked up to him, a smile playing on his lips. "I missed you, too," he said softly, "I – I mean, it was nice to have someone to talk to when there's nothing else to do. Not because of you." But he was blushing bright red and Alfred couldn't help but chuckle. The sight was too cute.

For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence. Alfred was thinking; if Arthur knew Kiku, then he probably also knew Francis. That would explain why Francis had given him the address of the _Green Dragon_ in the first place. It was strange, but funny in some way. "Isn't it strange," he voiced this thought, "that we have some shared friends and still never met?"

The Brit pondered for a moment before replying. "Yes, it's strange...," he smiled, looking Alfred directly in the eyes, "but don't you think it's fate that we did meet after all?"

_Fate..._ a pleasant shiver ran down Alfred's spine at the idea that they were meant to be. He remembered Francis' words from earlier. Now was a good chance to try.

Soon after, Kiku returned accompanied by Yao (who didn't seem to pleased at seeing Alfred; Arthur ignored him) and while the two Asians were still discussing something, Alfred took the chance. "Hey, Arthur... would you like to go out?," he stuttered out, "I mean... just to have a coffee or tea or something – my treat. Or what ever else you'd like to do and if you don't want to, that's cool too, though I hope you'll say yes..."

Once again, Arthur stopped his rambling by raising a finger, lightly touching Alfred's lips in the process. "Yes, I'd love to," he answered, "coffee and tea sounds fine to me."

"Really? That's great!" Alfred flashed a grin and, seeing that Yao and Kiku seemed to be finished, he quickly took out his business card, handing it over to Arthur who looked at it in surprise. "For my number," he explained, "just call me sometime later, okay?"

Arthur nodded. Kiku called for Alfred. Alfred flashed another grin. "Great. See you then!," he said, waving goodbye. Arthur returned the wave, still holding the card. The smile wouldn't leave Alfred's face for the rest of the day.

In the evening, the group of friends were still gaming at Gilbert's when Alfred's cellphone started ringing. He cursed at first because he was near to victory in the current race, but remembering that it could be Arthur, he jumped up, throwing away his controller and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Alfred?," sounded Arthur's voice from the other end of the line, "this is Arthur."

"Arthur!," Alfred called out. He could hear Gilbert cackling in the background and stepped out into the hallway in an attempt to gain at least a little privacy. "What's up?"

"I'm calling because of our... our _date_," Arthur answered, voice sounding embarrassed.

"Ah." A blush crept on Alfred's face. "So... when are you free?"

"Well... I thought about Saturday. That way, my brother can fill in for me because he doesn't have to go to school. O-only if that's okay with you, of course!" The last part was blurted out and Alfred just knew that Arthur was blushing right up to the ears.

"Saturday sounds great to me!," Alfred replied, smiling to himself, "where do you wanna go?"

It was quiet for a few seconds before Arthur spoke again. "Ah, there's this lovely little café

in the old town. It's called the _Zuckerdöschen_."

"I've never heard of it," Alfred said after a moment of thought, "but if that's where you want to go, we'll go there. So... how about I pick you up around noon?"

"Yes, that would be fine," Arthur replied, "so... see you on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah, me too. See you then!"

Alfred was in high spirits when he returned to the living room. Even the looks the others gave him didn't faze him in the least.

"Hey!," Gilbert said, "while you were away, the awesome me beat you up!"

Antonio rolled his eyes at him. "You mean you've been able to reach second to last place. Not so much better than usual."

"Yeah, but I still beat him!," Gilbert argued.

Alfred just shrugged. "Well, who cares about that," he said nonchalantly, falling back onto the couch, "it's only a game." As his friends continued to stare at him as if the world had ended, he stared right back.

"Dude... did you just really say it's _only_ a game?," Gilbert repeated slowly, "wow, that really must have been a good conversation you've had on the phone!" He snickered.

"Yeah, you could say that," Alfred replied, completely ignoring the innuendo, "I can't wait for Saturday."

Francis smiled at him. "I'm glad to hear you gave it a try, after all.

Alfred echoed the smile with a grin of his own. At the moment, he really wished for time to fly by.

But as usual in situations such as these, time didn't react the way he wanted and instead seemed to drag on forever. When Saturday finally arrived and he woke up early, he nearly couldn't believe it. He had his usual breakfast and then headed for the shower. When it came to getting ready, he took extra care in choosing his clothes for the day. It shouldn't be too fancy, but not to casual either. In the end, he settled on combining dress pants with a hoody and one of his nicer jackets instead of his usual bomber jacket. He looked himself up and down in the mirror and deeming his look as satisfying, he left full of excitement for the day.

Alfred was a bit early when he entered the _Green Dragon_, but he didn't mind having to wait – and it was definitely better than being late, especially since he was the one who had offered to pick his date up. A teenager was sorting the shelves and as he looked up when hearing the bell, Alfred noticed that he looked similar to Yao with his dark hair and eyes and Asian clothing, but had eyebrows just as thick as Arthur's. "Ah. So you're Alfred?," the boy asked. His accent wasn't as strong as Yao's.

Alfred nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

"Thought so. Arthur, like, never stops talking about you," the boy said, "Yao isn't too pleased, but I think it's cool. Totally better than when he's all cranky."

"Jia Long, how many times do I have to tell you to watch your language when in the shop?," chided Yao's voice from the backroom.

The boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not even serving a customer," he called back.

Yao appeared at the door, looking at Alfred. "Ah, it's only you," he said, "Arthur will be down in a moment. Also, I sure hope you won't do anything strange. If he comes home crying, I'll curse you."

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen," Alfred reassured.

The Chinese nodded in acknowledgment but didn't answer when they could hear two arguing voices approaching.

"But I want to go, too!," a high-pitched voice whined, "I want some of Ludwig's cake!"

"Peter, I already said you can't come today. And now stop bothering me, I'm already late," replied Arthur's voice.

"But that's not fair!," came another whine.

"Well, that's how life is. Don't forget to practise for your piano lesson. If you're a good boy, Mr. Edelstein might reward you with a slice of torte."

Even when they joined the assembled group, the boy was still muttering about how stupid and unfair his big brother was. The child looked a lot like a younger version of Arthur – the only difference was that he had clear blue eyes instead bright green. Alfred smiled when he saw Arthur. He looked gorgeous, the red of his coat perfectly accentuating the green of his eyes. He also noticed that they had dressed in similar fashion, matching each other: all in red and browns, and both having stripes somewhere in their outfit.

Arthur returned the smile. "Hello, Alfred," he greeted. He was blushing slightly. "Shall we go, then?"

Alfred nodded. He watched as Arthur bid goodbye to his family ("Peter, behave! Leon, thank you again for filling in for me. Watch over the boys and don't work too much, Yao. I'll be back later.") and then they left. It was only a short way to the café and standing before it, Alfred could understand why Arthur liked it. It looked nice and cozy.

They sat down at a small table by the back-window. The sight of the backyard with it's neatly arranged flowerbeds and rose bushes went well with the overall atmosphere. Even the menu was a piece of art, every single page seeming to be carefully drawn and illustrated by hand. They were greeted by the owners, a cheerful Italian and a more serious-looking German, both easily able to make small talk with Arthur. After having brought their orders – for both a huge slice of cake and tea for Arthur, coffee for Alfred – Ludwig and Feliciano (the owners' names, as Alfred had picked up from the conversation) left again so they had a bit of privacy.

"You seem to know them well," Alfred observed.

Arthur shrugged. "I've known them for years. We're in the neighbourhood, after all." He sipped at his tea. "That's also how we know Peter's piano teacher. The Edelsteins live right across the street. Actually, I used to attend his lessons as well when I was younger."

Alfred was impressed. "Wow... is there something you can't do?"

"Ah..." Arthur blushed from the praise and fidgeted. "Well... I'm not so good with cooking, to be honest."

"Oh, yeah, Yao mentioned it back when I first met him," Alfred remembered, "I can't imagine that your cooking would be that bad, though."

"If you'd like, I could cook for you someday."

They enjoyed their cakes, and talked a lot so they could get to know even better. Arthur explained a bit of his family's background while Alfred talked about his job, and both shared how they got to know Kiku and Francis. They found some similarities, like their love for animals (Arthur had cats, as well – one for each member of the family) but also differences; while Alfred loved sports, sciences and technology, Arthur preferred cultural things like reading, handicrafts and arts.

Alfred made sure to remember any little detail Arthur told about what he liked and didn't like to be well-prepared in the future and noted the _Zuckerdöschen_ on his mental list of good places for a date. Even when they had finished eating and drinking, they stayed and just continued to talk until by chance, they found out they had sat in the café for several hours already. After paying (as promised, Alfred paid for both of them), they went to walk around the old town and eventually sat down on a bench by a fountain.

While children played on the fountain, they kept on talking. When Alfred mentioned that he had never really been to the the old town, Arthur promised to give him a tour sometime, leading in an exclamation of childish excitement by Alfred, and amused laughter by Arthur. Even though they had already talked for hours, there was still more to talk about and it was already late in the evening when Alfred walked his date back home.

Now they stood outside the _Green Dragon_, just smiling at each other. Eventually, Arthur broke the silence. "Thank you, Alfred," he said quietly, "I enjoyed today."

"Me too," Alfred replied in a low tone. He was holding Arthur's hands – had been for a while, but neither had noticed; it felt natural, as if their hands had been meant to fit into each other. The air around them was sparkling with something they couldn't pinpoint; something was missing, but at that time, they didn't know what it was.

They stood like that for minutes, until again, it was Arthur who broke the spell. "I – I guess I should go inside now." When Alfred only gave a sound of agreement, he continued, awkwardly, fidgeting. "You're always welcome to visit, whenever you'd like."

Alfred understood that he meant not only the shop, but the house in general. He smiled and said: "The same goes for you. You should come visit me sometime."

"I'd love that," Arthur replied. After another short moment of standing in silence, Arthur leaned forward to peck Alfred briefly on the cheek. When he pulled back, he was blushing fiercely and looking away. "S-see you soon. Have a good night."

As Arthur already turned around to go inside, Alfred whispered: "Have a good night, Arthur."

The first thing Alfred did upon returning home was to bring out the tea things from the back of the cupboard and to where he could always reach them. He prepared a cup and while he was drinking it, he had his eyes closed and in his mind, he could see Arthur so clearly it almost felt as if he was still there. And even when he had long gone to bed, his cheek was still pleasantly tingling where Arthur's lips had touched.

XXXXXXX

From that point on, their relationship developed slowly, gradually. They continued to go on dates like these, drinking tea and coffee, often talking, but sometimes just sitting side by side, savoring the moment and the closeness they shared. They only touched lightly, gently; holding hands,pecks on the cheek or the nose, stroking the other's hair. When Alfred visited, it was during opening hours, though now they always sat in the backroom when Arthur didn't have customers to serve and sometimes they were joined by Arthur's brothers. Even Yao started to warm up to Alfred and it was like he was a part of the family. Sometimes, the pair met for dinner with Kiku and Francis, taking turns at who was cooking, though more often than not Francis was in charge, while Arthur wasn't allowed to enter the kitchen. (The only time he was allowed in the kitchen was when he forcefully insisted to cook for a change and the only one who ate everything up had been Alfred. The truly happy, sweet smile he earned made up for the not-all-too-pleasant sensation eating Arthur's food caused.)

When the leaves had long since fallen and snow was covering the ground – nearly a year after they had met for the first time – Alfred invited his beloved to his home to stay over night. Arthur had accepted at once, all blushing and flustered, but oh so happy. Alfred had planned it all out – dinner, walk in the park, return back home and drinking tea.

Arthur arrived in the late afternoon and connected with Hamburger right away, playing with the cat while Alfred prepared dinner. When they returned from their walk in the park, Arthur sat down on the couch while Alfred made tea for both of them. Most of the night passed in the comfortable silence they both enjoyed. Only when they were preparing for bed, Arthur spoke again. "I've been wondering... you always say you prefer coffee, but when we're together, you often drink tea even when you can choose what you like. Why?"

Alfred then crossed the room to stand next to him, touching their foreheads together. "It's true, I prefer coffee. But when I'm with you, I like to drink tea, because it makes me feel even closer to you," he explained, "and even when you're not there, I drink tea sometimes and when I close my eyes, it's like we're together again."

Arthur looked at him puzzled.

"It's because I love you. And one of the many reasons why I fell for you was the excitement you get when you're talking about tea. Because of that, I like to drink tea." Alfred paused for a moment, then laughed lightly. "Remember how you once said that maybe we met because of fate? I say that tea also played a huge part in it."

Arthur smiled at him lovingly. Green eyes gazed into blue and like back on the night of their first date, the air around them sparkled and this time, they knew. They closed the distance to kiss, to touch, to feel each other. It was their first night together.

Soon after, they decided to move together. Arthur still worked in his family's teashop, but after work, he'd return home to Alfred. Much like Alfred drank tea when with Arthur, Arthur started to drink coffee more often and sometimes, they'd just drink each other's favorite choice. What might have seemed strange to others, was what felt right for the pair. Their love for coffee and tea and their love for each other blended perfecly, intensifying the other at all times.

* * *

><p>Zuckerdöschen = little sugar bowl<p> 


End file.
